The John Jay College of Criminal Justice (John Jay) is a

public college A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

focused on

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

and located in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It is a senior college of the

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

(CUNY). John Jay was founded as the only

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...

with a criminal justice and forensic focus in the United States.

History

Founding

In 1964, a committee convened by the Board of Higher Education recommended the establishment of an independent, degree-granting school of

police science Police science or police studies is the study of police work. It is a subfield of criminology and sociology. As an interdisciplinary science, the field includes contributions from political science, forensic science, anthropology, psychology, juris ...

. The College of Police Science (COPS) of the

was subsequently founded and admitted its first class in September 1965. In 1967, the school was renamed John Jay College of Criminal Justice to reflect broader education objectives. The school's namesake,

John Jay John Jay (, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, diplomat, signatory of the Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1795 as the first chief justice of the United ...

(1745–1829), was the first chief justice of the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

and a

Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...

. Jay was a native of New York City and served as governor of

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. Classes were originally held at the

Police Academy A police academy, also known as a law enforcement training center, police college, or police university, is a training school for police cadets, designed to prepare them for the law enforcement agency they will be joining upon graduation, or to o ...

on East 20th Street. Leonard E. Reisman served as college president from 1964 to 1970, succeeded by Donald Riddle, president from 1970 to 1975.

Era of protests and disputes

In the spring of 1970, after

President Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...

announced that the

Cambodian Campaign The Cambodian campaign (also known as the Cambodian incursion and the Cambodian liberation) was a series of military operations conducted in eastern Cambodia in mid-1970 by South Vietnam and the United States as an expansion of the Vietnam War ...

would be extended, the college held two "heated"

teach-in A teach-in is similar to a general educational forum on any complicated issue, usually an issue involving current political affairs. The main difference between a teach-in and a seminar is the refusal to limit the discussion to a specific tim ...

s about the conflict. Many other college campuses were home to student strikes across the nation. On May 7, 1970, the faculty voted 52–39 in favor of closing the college in protest of President Nixon's handling of the Vietnam War and the killing of students by National Guardsmen at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

and

Jackson State College Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research ...

. But the closing of John Jay College would ultimately be up to its students, the faculty decided. At an impassioned student meeting, the final vote was 865–791 in favor of keeping the college open. In the summer of 1970, Professor Abe Blumberg made some criticisms of the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

and the Director

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American attorney and law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau o ...

in a graduate course on the sociology of law. One of his students, an FBI agent named Jack Shaw, examined the agency's role in American society in his master's thesis, granting that some of Blumberg's criticisms may have been valid. His paper found its way to Hoover's hands, who ordered that Shaw resign and told President Riddle that as long as Blumberg (a tenured professor) remained on the faculty, no FBI agents would attend John Jay. Riddle defended Blumberg, citing

academic freedom Academic freedom is the right of a teacher to instruct and the right of a student to learn in an academic setting unhampered by outside interference. It may also include the right of academics to engage in social and political criticism. Academic ...

. After Hoover's death in 1972, FBI agents began to enroll again at the college. The FBI later paid former agent Shaw $13,000 in back pay.

Open admissions

CUNY's

open admissions Open admissions, or open enrollment, is a type of unselective and noncompetitive college admissions process in the United States in which the only criterion for entrance is a high school diploma or a certificate of attendance or General Educati ...

Program came into effect in the fall of 1970. Adopting the Open Admissions policy meant that the university would now provide a place for any high school graduate who desired to attend. Across CUNY, student enrollment ballooned. At John Jay, undergraduates numbered 2,600 in 1969; 4,400 in 1970; 6,700 in 1972; and 8,600 in 1973. The size of the faculty grew by over 200% between 1970 and 1972. Moreover, the policy brought many more "civilian" (non-law enforcement) students to the college. The school's massive and sudden growth had a profound effect. More of the college's budget went toward remedial programs to help transition underprepared freshmen. In addition, the college broadened its curriculum, expanding into

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

. Majors including English, Math, American Studies, and Chemistry were introduced during this period in the early 1970s. The SEEK program developed during this time as well, supporting students from underprivileged backgrounds who showed academic promise. President Riddle resigned to become chancellor of the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...

. From 1975 to 1977, Gerald W. Lynch served as acting president, and in 1977, he was sworn in as college president, a position he would hold until 2004. As the school grew, its space constraints were felt, despite having acquired the Miles Shoe Building on West 59th Street (North Hall) in 1969. In 1973, John Jay rented the former

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

building (South Hall) a few blocks from North Hall.

CUNY fiscal crisis of 1976

In 1976, City University Board of Trustees threatened to shut down the college during a time of fiscal crisis for

CUNY The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

and New York City as a whole. Throughout the campaign to "save John Jay," the faculty and administration united to advocate the sentiment voiced by President Lynch in a memo: "John Jay can contribute to the city as a unique resource to help solve the problems of crime, public productivity, manpower needs, and budget management." After weeks of turmoil, the college decided to trim its budget to remain independent rather than merge with

Baruch College Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City, United States. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the colle ...

. On April 5, the Board of Higher Education voted to preserve John Jay. Though the budget cuts were still painful, the college community's efforts were successful.

Curricular expansion

In 1980, at President Lynch's urging, the college established its first doctorate program, offering a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in Criminal Justice on the heels of several Master's programs. In the next two decades of Lynch's presidency, enrollment and the faculty grew, the school's external activities expanded, and its curriculum continued to evolve. John Jay continued to pursue an approach to education more attuned to the liberal arts. The college supported more curricular cultural diversity, establishing an Ethnic Studies track and strengthening its Women's Studies program. Between 1985 and 1988, as faculty pursued more research opportunities, the amount of grant money given to John Jay faculty increased by over 500%. Again, the college felt the constraints of space, and in 1986 acquired Haaren Hall (formerly DeWitt Clinton High School) across the intersection from North Hall. After renovation, Haaren Hall was opened to students in 1988. The new hall included a spacious two-level library, christened Lloyd Sealy Library in 1991 for Lloyd Sealy, the first African-American Associate Professor of Law and Police Science.

CUNY fiscal crisis of 1995

In 1995, CUNY suffered another fiscal crisis when Governor

George Pataki George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. He previously served in the State Legislature from 1985 to 1994, and as the mayor of Peekskill from 1981 to 1984 ...

announced a $162 million cut in state financing for the university. The CUNY board of trustees declared a state of financial emergency. By June, in response to the threat of budget cuts, CUNY had adopted a stricter admissions policy for its senior colleges: students deemed unprepared for college would not be admitted, a departure from the 1970 Open Admissions program, in order to save money spent on remedial programs. The proposed $162 million in cuts was reduced to $102 million, which CUNY absorbed by increasing tuition by $750 and offering a retirement incentive plan for faculty. (In May 1996, a State Supreme Court justice ruled that CUNY misused their emergency financial authority to lay off professors, close departments, and cut remedial aid.)

Academic overhaul and campus expansion

On September 11, 2001, John Jay lost 67 alumni and students, many of them firefighters, in the World Trade Center attacks. The school resumed class on September 13, providing additional counseling for students, many of whom saw their studies and career aspirations in a new light. In September 2011, John Jay dedicated a memorial to the fallen members of its community who died on

9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. The memorial, a large steel fragment from the World Trade Center ruins, was officially unveiled in September 2013. In 1998, the New York State Legislature had approved a five-year capital budget of $352 million for the college to improve its facilities. The college continued to expand its campus as enrollment grew. The "New Building", a 13-story tower connected to Haaren Hall's west side, opened in 2011, dramatically increasing the college's square footage and adding green space to the campus. John Jay joined the Macaulay Honors College, an advising program for top students, in September 2012. In December 2012, the college received its largest-ever donation: $5 million from adjunct professor and alumnus Andrew Shiva. President Lynch retired in 2004, having headed the longest senior-level administration in

history. He was succeeded by

Jeremy Travis Jeremy Travis (born July 31, 1948) is an American academic administrator who served as the fourth president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a senior college of the City University of New York, starting on August 16, 2004. On October 25, ...

, who was previously a senior fellow at the Justice Policy Center and had directed the

National Institute of Justice The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). NIJ, along with the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Offic ...

. Travis retired in 2017. Karol Mason, former

Assistant Attorney General Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) are headed by an assistant attorney general. The president of the United States appoints individuals to the position of assistant attorney general with the adv ...

, assumed the office of college president in August 2017.

Academics

John Jay College of Criminal Justice is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education, is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

. The school is primarily known for its

studies,

forensic psychology Forensic psychology is the application of scientific knowledge and methods (in relation to psychology) to assist in answering legal questions that may arise in criminal, civil, contractual, or other judicial proceedings. Forensic psychology includes ...

, and

forensic science Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...

programs, supported by a liberal arts curriculum. The student-faculty ratio is 16:1, and the average freshman retention rate is 78%. The college offers a variety of in-person, online, and hybrid courses. There are a total of 1,100 faculty employed by the school, over one-third of which are full-time faculty members.

Rankings

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'', in its 2016 rankings of America's Top Colleges, ranked John Jay as the 497th-best college in the country; ''Forbes'' also ranked John Jay #175 in the Best College in the Northeast category and #169 in the Best Public Colleges category respectively. In 2023, the college was ranked #4 in the US for Best Public Colleges in America by Money Magazine. In 2016, ''

Washington Monthly ''Washington Monthly'' is a bimonthly, nonprofit magazine primarily covering United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C. The magazine also publishes an annual ranking of American colleges and universities, which ser ...

'' ranked John Jay #72 in its Master's Universities Ranking, which rated universities on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country). As of 2016, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked John Jay's

Criminology Criminology (from Latin , 'accusation', and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'', 'word, reason') is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is a multidisciplinary field in both the behaviou ...

graduate program #10 nationally and its Public Affairs graduate program #56 in the country (in the top 20%). The same publication also ranked John Jay College of Criminal Justice #108 in the Regional Universities North Category, as well as the 34th-top public school in the same region. In an alternative ranking of the top public universities in New York for 2016,

Niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development and growth *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ec ...

ranked John Jay #9. Niche's rankings were based on "key statistics and student reviews" and "the top ranked public colleges are elite academic institutions that provide a good value for in-state students and offer an exceptional college experience" according to Niche's assessment. John Jay College of Criminal Justice was ranked as the 61st-top college in the United States by

Payscale Payscale is an American compensation software and data company which helps employers manage employee compensation and employees understand their worth in the job market. History The website was launched on January 1, 2002. It was founded by Joe ...

and CollegeNet's Social Mobility Index in 2015, which ranked colleges and universities on their ability to improve both economic opportunity and social stability in our country. In 2016, ''

Business Insider ''Business Insider'' (stylized in all caps: BUSINESS INSIDER; known from 2021 to 2023 as INSIDER) is a New York City–based multinational financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Inside ...

'' recognized John Jay as having the 18th-safest college campus in America. The ''Military Times'' ranked John Jay as the #3 Best College for Veterans in its 2015 rankings. The

Conference on College Composition and Communication The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC, often referred to as "Four Cs" or "Cs") is a national professional association of college and university writing instructors in the United States. The CCCC formed in 1949 as a confe ...

awarded a certificate of excellence to the John Jay College Writing Program in 2012–2013 for "imaginatively address ngthe needs and opportunities of its students, instructors, institution, and locale" and offering "exemplary ongoing professional development" for faculty.

Admissions

John Jay College of Criminal Justice had a 37% admission rate in its 2016 undergraduate admissions cycle.

Honors programs

John Jay College is a member of the selective

Macaulay Honors College William E. Macaulay Honors College, commonly referred to as Macaulay Honors College or Macaulay, is the honors college of the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. It was founded in 2001 as CUNY Honors College. Founding a ...

program, which awards academically gifted students with a full four-year tuition scholarship, specialized academic advisers, and an Opportunities Fund of $7,500, to be used toward academically enriching experiences. Students accepted into the program are deemed University Scholars and collaborate with other honors students across

campuses.

Research

The college houses multiple research centers and institutes focused on crime and justice: * Academy of Critical Incident Analysis * Center for Crime Prevention and Control * Center for Cybercrime Studies * Center for International Human Rights * Center on Media, Crime and Justice * Center on Race, Crime and Justice * Center on Terrorism * Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies * CUNY Dispute Resolution Consortium * Institute for Criminal Justice Ethics * Prisoner Reentry Institute – studies

prisoner reentry Prisoner reentry is the process by which prisoners who have been released return to the community. Many types of programs have been implemented with the goal of reducing recidivism and have been found to be effective for this purpose. Consideration ...

* Research & Evaluation Center

Degrees offered

John Jay awards

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

, and

doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

degrees, as well as certificates. The college discontinued issuing

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

s in 2010. In 2014, John Jay College launched two completely online master's degrees and one online professional certificate.

Student life

Approximately 13,000 undergraduate students and 2,000 graduate students attend John Jay. Although 95% of students enrolled are in-state residents, the college offers a diverse and inclusive environment. Over 75% of the student body identify as a minority (39% Hispanic, 28% White, 21% Black, 12% Asian), while over 130 nationalities are represented among those enrolled at the college. The college's diversity is highlighted even further by the fact that 47% of the student body are first-generation Americans, about half speak a language other than English at home, and 33% are foreign-born. There are 52 student organizations that are active on campus, many of which are housed in "Club Row", a series of hallways where the student clubs are given space. The Student Council disburses funds for organizations deemed "Essential Service," such as the Yearbook committee.

Athletics

College teams participate as a member of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...

. The Bloodhounds are a member of the

City University of New York Athletic Conference The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNY Athletic Conference or CUNYAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Its member institutions are all located in New York City and are campuse ...

(CUNYAC). The following sports are sponsored: * Fall: Men's and Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Cross Country * Winter: Men's and Women's Basketball, Women's Swimming, Rifle and Cheerleading * Spring: Baseball, Softball, Men's Volleyball, and Men's Tennis

Campus

The college consists of six buildings. It is located in

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

close to

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

Columbus Circle Columbus Circle is a traffic circle and heavily trafficked intersection in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eighth Avenue, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway, ...

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

and

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

. The college's newest building, a 13-story, facility, opened in 2011 and occupies a full city block in midtown. Known around campus as the "New Building" it has been recognized as an "overlooked architectural masterpiece" by The Real Deal, a leading New York City real estate news publication, which recently listed the building among the "ten best buildings to see in America" and one of the "coolest works of architecture in the country".

Haaren Hall

Haaren Hall, also known as the Tenth Avenue building or, simply, the T building, is the main campus building of John Jay. Located at 899 Tenth Avenue, it houses the majority of the administrative departments and classrooms. Originally designed by Charles B. J. Snyder to house

DeWitt Clinton High School DeWitt Clinton High School is a public high school located since 1929 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Opened in 1897 in Lower Manhattan as an all-boys school, it maintained that status for 86 years before becoming co-ed in 1983. From i ...

, the building was constructed in 1903. After DeWitt Clinton High School moved to the Bronx in 1929, the location served as

Haaren High School Haaren High School was a public high school in the Midtown Manhattan area of New York City in New York, United States. It was located at 899 Tenth Avenue, between 58th Street and 59th Street, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. The buildin ...

. In 1988, the building was acquired by John Jay and became known as Haaren Hall. It now contains the Lloyd Sealy Library, the Gerald W. Lynch Theater, a gymnasium, and a swimming pool.

North Hall

North Hall, also known as the N building, is located at 445 West 59th Street, diagonally across the intersection from Haaren Hall. Prior to the acquisition in 1973, the building was a shoe factory.

Westport Building

Westport Building, also referred as the W building, is a 24-story residential/commercial skyscraper located at 500 West 56th Street. Constructed in 2003 by

The Related Companies Related Companies, L.P. is an American real estate firm with headquarters in New York City, and with offices around the country including in West Palm Beach, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, as well as in London. Related developed t ...

, the first two floors of Westport Building are occupied by John Jay. It was also the location of the John Jay branch of

Barnes & Noble College Booksellers Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (doing business as BNED, after its New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol) is one of the largest operators of college bookstores in the United States. As of the end of 2020, Barnes & Noble Education operated 760 camp ...

, until the summer of 2014, in which the bookstore was closed as the campus switched to a digital service.

BMW Building

The BMW Building is a commercial skyscraper on 555 West 57th Street, opened in 1992. Located adjacent to the New Building, the sixth floor of the BMW Building houses the Academic Centers and Training Rooms of John Jay.

54th Street Annex

The 54th Street Annex is a 10-story building, built in 1930 and located at 619 West 54th Street. It is the southernmost structure of the campus. Some of John Jay's administrative offices are located there.

The "New" Building

(Also known as "The Tower" and denoted "NB".) The New Building is located at 11th Avenue between West 58th and 59th Streets. The modernistic , 13-story structure was designed by

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill SOM, an initialism of its original name Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, is a Chicago-based architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings. In 1939, they were joined by enginee ...

, and structurally engineered by Leslie E. Robertson Associates. The New Building was opened on November 2, 2011, at a cost of $600 million. The tower is directly connected to the western side of Haaren Hall and includes classrooms, conference rooms, a

black box theater A black box theater is a performance space, typically a square or rectangular room, with black walls and a black, flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interact ...

, a mock court, a

memorial, and an exterior roof quad called the "Jay Walk."

Notable people

Alumni

Eric Adams Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and former police officer who has served as the 110th mayor of New York City since 2022. Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York City P ...

(BA), 110th

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

(2021–present); 18th Borough President of Brooklyn (2014–2021) * Karl A. Brabenec (MPA), New York State Assemblyman representing district 98 * Edward Thomas Brady (MA), trial attorney and former Associate Justice of the

Supreme Court of North Carolina The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

* Jennings Michael Burch (BA), author of 1984 best-selling memoir ''They Cage the Animals at Night'' * Elisa Crespo (BA), executive director of the New Pride Agenda, former candidate for the 15th District in the

2021 New York City Council election The 2021 New York City Council elections were held on November 2, 2021. The primary elections were held on June 22, 2021. There were several special elections for seats vacated in 2020 and early 2021; these special elections were the first to ...

* Marcos Crespo (BA), former New York State Assemblyman representing district 85 *

Petri Hawkins-Byrd Petri Hawkins-Byrd (born Petri Adonis Byrd; November 29, 1957), also known as Bailiff Byrd or simply Byrd, is an American court show bailiff, television personality, social media personality, actor, voice actor, writer, and former New York State ...

(BS 1989), television personality known for his role as bailiff for entire series run of 25 seasons of ''

Judge Judy ''Judge Judy'' is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin. The show featured Sheindlin as she adjudicated real-life small-claims disputes within a simulated court ...

'' (1996–2021) * Catalina Cruz (BA), New York State Assembly Member representing district 39 in Queens * Edward A. Flynn, former Chief of the

Milwaukee Police Department The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) is the police department organized under the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The department has a contingent of about 1,800 sworn officers when at full strength and is divided into seven districts. Jeffrey B. ...

* Kenneth Gittens (BS), Majority Leader of the

Legislature of the Virgin Islands The Legislature of the United States Virgin Islands is the territorial legislature of the United States Virgin Islands. The legislative branch of the unincorporated U.S. territory is unicameral, with a single house consisting of 15 senators, e ...

* Henry Lee (BS '72), forensic scientist and founder of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science *

Eva Norvind Eva Norvind (born Eva Johanne Chegodayeva Sakonsky; May 7, 1944 – May 14, 2006) was a Norwegian-born Mexican actress, writer, documentary producer, director, sex therapist, and dominatrix. Early life Norvind was the daughter of Russian prince P ...

(MA), actor and director * Craig Noto, college baseball coach * James P. O'Neill (BA), former

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

Commissioner *

Pauley Perrette Pauley Perrette (born March 27, 1969) is an American retired actress and singer. She played Abby Sciuto in the television series ''NCIS (TV series), NCIS'' from 2003 to 2018. Early life Perrette was born in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, ...

, actor best known for her role as Abby Scuito on ''

NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...

'' *

Ronald Rice Ronald Rice may refer to: * Ronald L. Rice (1945–2023), American politician in the New Jersey State Senate * Ronald C. Rice (born 1968), his son, American politician in Newark, New Jersey * Ron Rice (Charles Ronald Rice, 1935–1964) was an Am ...

, New Jersey State Senator * Ariel Rios, undercover special agent for the United States

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevention ...

(ATF), killed in the line of duty * Imette St. Guillen, criminal justice graduate student murdered in February 2006. A scholarship was created in her name. *

Ronald Spadafora Ronald R. Spadafora (July 8, 1954 – June 23, 2018) was an American 39 year veteran firefighter and the Assistant fire chief of fire prevention for the FDNY, notable for his service supervising the entire safety operation during the rescue and ...

(BA),

FDNY The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fire Suppression Services, ...

Chief *

Scott Stringer Scott M. Stringer (born April 29, 1960) is an American politician who served as the 44th New York City Comptroller. A Democrat, Stringer also previously served as a New York State Assemblyman, and as the 26th borough president of Manhattan. I ...

(BA) (born 1960), former

New York City Comptroller The Office of Comptroller of New York City, a position established in 1801, is the chief financial officer and chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. The comptroller also reviews all city contracts, handles the s ...

(2014–2021),

Borough President (2006–2013), 2021 mayoral candidate for New York City * Kenneth P. Thompson (BA), former

Kings County Kings County or King's County may refer to: Places Canada *Kings County, New Brunswick *Kings County, Nova Scotia * Kings County, Prince Edward Island ** King's County (electoral district), abolished in 1892 Ireland * County Offaly, formerly call ...

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

(2014–2016) and former attorney for

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn (; born 25 April 1949), also known as DSK, is a French economist and politician who served as the tenth managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and was a member of the French Socialist P ...

accuser Nafissatou Diallo * John Timoney (BA 1974), Chief of the

Miami Police Department The Miami Police Department (MPD), also known as the City of Miami Police Department, is a full-service municipal law enforcement agency serving Miami, Florida, United States. MPD is the largest municipal police department in Florida. MPD offi ...

(2003–10) *

Dorothy Uhnak Dorothy Uhnak (April 24, 1930 – July 8, 2006; née Goldstein) was an American novelist. Uhnak was born in New York City. She attended City College of New York and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Uhnak worked for 14 years as a detec ...

(BA), novelist and detective for the New York City Transit Police Department *

Lovely A. Warren Lovely Ann Warren (born July 1, 1977) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 69th mayor of Rochester, New York, from 2014 until her resignation in 2021. She was previously the President of the Rochester City Council. She was the ...

(BA), 67th Mayor of

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

Faculty, past and present

Milton Allimadi Milton Allimadi is a Ugandan-American author, journalist, professor, and a co-founder of ''Black Star News''. He is known for his critique of racist writing by white authors about Africa and Africans, in his 2003 book ''The Hearts of Darkness'' ...

, author and co-founder of

Black Star News ''Black Star News'' is an African-American news outlet based in New York. History Milton Allimadi and Mana Lumumba Kasongo, both recent graduates of the Columbia School of Journalism, launched the ''Black Star'' on October 1, 1997. Both were ...

* Preeti Chauhan, Ph.D., researcher and professor of psychology * James DiGiovanna, author and award-winning film reviewer and filmmaker * Sofija Grandakovska, author in the field of comparative literature studies and interdisciplinary studies in

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

* Michelle Holder, economist and author *

Saul Kassin Saul Kassin is an American academic, who serves as a Distinguished Professor of psychology at the City University of New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Massachusetts Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Williams College in Williams ...

, distinguished professor of psychology best known for starting the scientific study of police-induced false confessions * Jane Katz, Olympic swimmer and member of the

National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, in Commack, New York, is dedicated to honoring American Jewish figures who have distinguished themselves in sports. Its objective is to foster Jewish identity through athletics, and to commemo ...

* David M. Kennedy, author of ''Don't Shoot'' (2011) and professor of criminology * Ralph Larkin, sociologist * Nathan H. Lents, scientist and author *

Audre Lorde Audre Lorde ( ; born Audrey Geraldine Lorde; February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was an American writer, professor, philosopher, Intersectional feminism, intersectional feminist, poet and civil rights activist. She was a self-described "Bl ...

, African-American poet and political activist *

John Matteson John Matteson (born March 3, 1961) is an American professor of English and legal writing at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography for his first book, '' Eden's Outc ...

, winner of the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

in 2008 for the biography '' Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father'' *

Peter Moskos Peter Moskos is an American professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law, Police Science, and Criminal Justice Administration and the CUNY Graduate Center in the Department of Sociology. He is a former Baltimore Polic ...

, former

Baltimore Police Department The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) is the municipal police department of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Dating back to 1784, the BPD, consisting of 2,935 employees in 2020, is organized into nine districts covering of land and of waterw ...

officer and author of '' Cop in the Hood'' *

Kevin Nadal Kevin Leo Yabut Nadal is an author, activist, comedian, and Distinguished Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and The Graduate Center, CUNY, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He is a researcher an ...

, notable

Filipino-American Filipino Americans () are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the Sp ...

professor, author, and

microaggression Microaggression is a term used for commonplace verbal, behavioral or environmental slights, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative attitudes toward members of marginalized groups. The term was coine ...

s researcher *

Serena Nanda Serena Nanda (born August 13, 1938) is an American author, anthropologist, and professor emeritus. She received the Ruth Benedict Prize in 1990 for her monograph, ''Neither Man nor Woman: The Hijras of India''. Biography Serena Nanda was born on ...

(born 1938), author, anthropologist, and professor emeritus * Steven Penrod, distinguished professor of psychology specializing in the studies of jury decision-making and eyewitness testimony. *

Rosalie Purvis Rosalie Purvis (born 1975) is a Dutch-American theatre director and choreographer. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in literature and dance from Bard College, followed by a Master of Fine Arts in directing from Brooklyn College, and is studying towa ...

, theater director and choreographer *

Flora Rheta Schreiber Flora Rheta Schreiber (April 24, 1918 – November 3, 1988)Special Collections, database. 2020.The Papers of Flora Rheta Schreiber 1916–1988" '' Lloyd Sealy Library''. New York: John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Retrieved 13 May 2020. was an ...

, author of ''

Sibyl The sibyls were prophetesses or oracles in Ancient Greece. The sibyls prophet, prophesied at holy sites. A sibyl at Delphi has been dated to as early as the eleventh century BC by Pausanias (geographer), PausaniasPausanias 10.12.1 when he desc ...

'' (1973) * Lloyd George Sealy, NYPD's first African-American officer to graduate from the

FBI National Academy The FBI National Academy is a program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Academy for active U.S. law enforcement personnel and also for international law enforcement personnel who seek to enhance their credentials in their field and to ...

and the first African-American officer in the NYPD to make rank as the commander of a police station * Jay Sexter, psychologist and President Emeritus of Mercy College * Ilyasah Shabazz, author, social activist, and daughter of

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

and

Betty Shabazz Betty Shabazz (born Betty Dean Sanders; May 28, 1934/1936 – June 23, 1997), also known as Betty X, was an American educator and civil rights advocate. She was married to Malcolm X. Shabazz grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where her foster ...

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. Known for his investigative journalism, he interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade car ...

, co-author of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning '' Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898'' *

Benjamin Ward Benjamin Ward (August 10, 1926 – June 10, 2002) was the first African American New York City Police Commissioner. Early life Ward was one of 11 children and was born in the Weeksville section of Brooklyn, New York. He attended Brooklyn Autom ...

, first African-American New York City Police Commissioner * Nick Wasicsko, youngest-ever mayor of

Yonkers Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

, and the youngest mayor in a major American city * Cathy Spatz Widom, distinguished professor of psychology and expert on the long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect, winner of 2016

Stockholm Prize in Criminology The Stockholm Prize in Criminology is an international prize in the field of criminology, established under the aegis of the Swedish Ministry of Justice. It has a permanent endowment in the trust of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology Foundation. ...

References

External links

*
Athletics website
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